A Singular Ill-Tempered Individual
by derangedperson
Summary: My attempt at a rewrite of the infamous "One Angry Person" by Vincent-Starman. Now with 100% less St. Lincoln!
1. Good Day, Bad Day

**When it comes to Loud House fanfics, "One Angry Person" by Vincent-Starman ranks among the most infamous, what with it being your typical St. Lincoln story and having one of the most insulting, infuriating endings I've ever read. This fic is my attempt to do OAP right, and I hope I succeeded. Read on, would you kindly?**

* * *

The repetitive buzzing of a digital alarm clock echoed through Lincoln Loud's bedroom, rousing him from his slumber. Summer vacation was in full swing, the weather was sunny and beautiful, and the only son of the Loud family bolted out of his bed and exclaimed, "IT'S FINALLY HERE! After months of teasers, trailers and speculation, the day has finally arrived! That's right, folks: today marks the release of THE MUSCLE FISH MOVIE!" Lincoln showed his copy of Muscle Fish #30 to the camera and explained, "The movie's supposed to be based off of the Strong Squid arc, as seen here, but Clyde and I have taken extra precautions to avoid spoilers. This is the movie event of the summer, and there's no way we're missing out on opening night!" He grabbed his Ace Savvy walkie-talkie and pressed the call button, saying, "Fish Stick, this is Calamari. Come in, Fish Stick."

"Hey, Lincoln," Clyde answered from his bedroom. "You all set for tonight?"

_"Am_ I! I've got my Muscle Fish T-shirt ready to go, and Leni's making something special for us to wear to the movie tonight!"

"Cool! Did she say what it was?"

"A replica of Muscle Fish's gloves and boots," Lincoln replied. "You know Leni and surprises."

"Yeah, but it's still awesome of her to do that for us," Clyde said. "Not to mention that Lori's gonna be driving us there! Ah, to be chauffeured by my one true love..." Small hearts danced around Clyde's head as Lincoln said, "Pull yourself together, Fish Stick! Once six o'clock rolls around, we'll be at Royal Woods Cinema enjoying the biggest cinematic event of the summer!"

"10-4, Calamari! See you then!" Lincoln put down the walkie-talkie and turned his attention to his calendar, which had a small drawing of Muscle Fish on the first Friday of July. A magnet held a small envelope in place to the right of the drawing, and when Lincoln took it off the board and opened it, he pulled out two tickets to the 6 pm showing of the Muscle Fish movie as the Hallelujah Chorus played overhead. He jumped up and down with excitement as he exclaimed, "YES YES YES YES YES! BEST...DAY...EVER!"

He put the tickets back in the envelope, the envelope in his pants pocket, and left his bedroom with a huge, toothy grin that was impossible to ignore. As he stood in line behind Lana for his turn at the bathroom, Lori stepped out of her room with phone in hand and started down the stairs. "Muscle Fish at 6, Lori," Lincoln chirped with glee. "Don't forget!"

"I know," Lori replied with a grin. "It's literally all you've talked about this past week."

"Can't help it," he answered as he pumped his fists. "Too excited!"

"I can see that. Just pace yourself; we've got a few hours before the movie starts." _Easier said than done,_ Lincoln thought as Lori headed to the living room. "Regardless, everything's ready to go," he declared. "I got my tickets, Lori's got the message...there's _no way_ this day can go wrong!" No sooner did those words leave his lips than he heard the doorbell ring; his curiosity was piqued, but Lana had just exited the bathroom, leaving it wide open for him to use. No sooner had Lincoln squeezed some toothpaste onto his Ace Savvy toothbrush than he heard a high-pitched, overjoyed squeal come from downstairs. He gave his teeth a quick brush and headed to the living room, where he discovered Lori fawning over none other than Bobby Santiago. She showered him with kisses and cutesy nicknames as he returned her affections with a hug and a warm, "I'm happy to see you too, babe."

"Oh, hey, Bobby," Lincoln called as he stood on the bottom step. "What are you doing all the way out here?"

"Just stopping by for a surprise visit," he replied with a grin. "And judging by Lori's reaction, it worked like a charm."

"Oh, it's so good to see you, Boo-Boo Bear!" Lori exclaimed as Lincoln and Lily glanced at each other and rolled their eyes. "You have no idea how much I missed you!"

"That makes two of us. Hey, what do you say we spend the day out on the town? Just you and me?"

"That would literally be the greatest," Lori replied with a lovestruck smile. Hand in hand, Bobby and Lori walked out to his truck as Lincoln stood on the porch, giving a friendly reminder of, "The movie's at 6, Lori! Don't forget!" The truck doors slammed before he finished his sentence, and as the lovebirds drove off into the distance, Lincoln pulled out his cellphone and left Lori a text, then called her directly and left a voicemail. After he hung up, he turned to the camera with a smile and said, "Hey, if Lori can't make it, that's okay. In times like these, I always have a backup plan." He re-entered the house only to find Rita tailing Lynn Sr. from their bedroom. His father was clad in a chef's outfit, and the look in his eyes suggested he was ready to weather a storm. Regardless, Lincoln asked them, "Mom, Dad, can you take me and Clyde to the movie later tonight?"

"Us? I thought Lori was taking you," Rita replied.

"Well, Bobby stopped by for a surprise visit, and they're, in his words, going out on the town. And speaking of going out, why is Dad dressed up like he's going to work?"

"That's because I am," Lynn Sr. answered as he began to stretch from side to side. "Kids! Get down here!" A loud rumble ensued as Lincoln's remaining sisters came downstairs and stood before their parents.

"Kids, I hate to do this on such short notice, but I just got a call from Grant and Kotaro," their father explained. "Three parties of 10-plus people showed up at once, and they're about to get slammed with orders! I'm heading down to the restaurant to help."

"That's a lotta people," Lana observed. "You sure you can handle it?"

"I feed thirteen people on a daily basis," Lynn Sr. replied with a confident grin. "I should be able to handle this, no problem."

"I'd tell you to break some eggs," Luan joked, "but then you wouldn't be able to make any omelets! Hahahahaha! Get it?"

"I sure do," Lynn Sr. cracked as he ruffled Luan's hair. "And Lincoln?" The white-haired boy turned his attention to his father as he said, "I shouldn't be gone for more than a few hours. If Lori isn't home by the time I get back, your mother and I will take you and Clyde to your movie." Lincoln gave him a hug and replied, "Thanks, Dad."

"No problem, kiddo." Rita and his daughters joined in the hug as Lynn Sr. declared, "Wish me luck, you guys! I'm off to do some cooking!" He grabbed the keys to Vanzilla and left to a rousing cheer from his family, and after the door shut, everyone went their separate ways as Lincoln turned to the camera with a confident grin and said, "They don't call me 'the man with the plan' for nothing! I've still got a ride and I've still got my-"

He reached into his pants pocket and rooted around for the envelope containing his tickets, but he pulled back an empty hand. Lincoln paled and began to sweat as he checked his remaining pants pockets and the breastpocket on his shirt, but the tickets were nowhere to be found. "Oh no..._oh no!_ Where are they?! Where'd they go?!"

* * *

"Right here, Boo-Boo Bear!"

Lori peeked her head out from the opposite side of the tree directly behind Bobby, and he flashed a wicked grin as he chased after her. Their romp through Ketcham Park had been a spur-of-the-moment stopover on their way to their favorite restaurant, and a calm, leisurely walk was how this playful chase began. Lori and Bobby had been walking arm in arm, taking in the beautiful weather while she rested her head on his shoulder. She was so content in her boyfriend's arms that she didn't notice the devious grin on his face as he brought his left hand over and poked her in the side. Lori let out a startled yelp as Bobby's eyes widened in surprise, and she exclaimed, "BOBBY! What the heck are you doing?!"

"Oh, nothing," he said as he feigned innocence. "Just seeing if you were ticklish. And now that I know you are..." He turned his free hand into a claw and attacked her stomach, causing her to dissolve into helpless laughter as he wrapped his other arm around her and pulled her close, grinning a full-toothed grin and exclaiming, "There's no escape, babe! Let's hear some more of your lilting laughter!" He continued to hold on tight and tickle her, relishing in the sound of her laughing until she retaliated by tickling his neck, which caused Bobby to jolt in shock and lose his grip. With her opening in sight, Lori kicked off her shoes, picked them up and ran barefoot through the grass as Bobby gave chase, the both of them laughing all the while. Their path led them to a cluster of trees, and Lori ducked behind and around them, playfully taunting Bobby all the while. As he roamed amongst the trees, he called, "Oh, _baaa-aaabe!_ Where _are_ you?"

"Right here, Boo-Boo Bear!" Bobby flashed a devious grin and snuck around the opposite side of the tree, taking care not to make any noise. When he saw his opening, he pounced and grabbed nothing but air. All of a sudden, Lori's voice called out, "Oops! I lied! Turns out I'm over here!" He darted over to the next tree and tried again, but he came up empty a second time. However, he noticed her shoes laying on the ground by a tree just off to his left, and he crept up on it, unaware that Lori was right behind him. Her footsteps were silenced by the grass as she stifled a giggle and flashed an evil grin, raising her hands to attack. As Bobby approached the final tree, she jumped at him with a loud "GOTCHA!" and grabbed him around the waist. The duo fell to the ground, and now that Lori had the upper hand, she showed him no mercy.

Bobby collapsed into helpless laughter as Lori attacked his sides, exclaiming, "Now the tables are turned, Robert Santiago! There's no escape from me!" That didn't mean he wasn't going to try, as he reached up and attacked Lori's neck, causing her to scream in shock and burst out laughing herself. The pair rolled around in the grass, their playful laughter and smiling faces both calming and confusing passersby as they fought until their lungs could take no more. The tickling had given way to the lovebirds holding onto each other, and Lori saw the perfect opportunity for a selfie. So she pulled out her cell phone, swiped right to activate the camera, and took a picture of her and Bobby smiling in the grass.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the Loud house, Lincoln was tearing through the entire second floor searching for his missing movie tickets. He just about turned the bathroom upside down as he looked in the sink, the medicine cabinet, the bathtub, the toilet, and the garbage can, but they were nowhere to be found. With his lavatory search fruitless, Lincoln tore across the hall to his bedroom, where he checked his bed, the floor, his dresser, and the area underneath his bed for the small white envelope. Unfortunately, he was once again unable to find it, and after he left his room, a familiar voice rang out from behind him.

"Excuse me, Lincoln." Lucy's sudden appearance caused Lincoln to jump back in fright, but he quickly recovered and stammered, "H...hey, Luce. What's up?"

"I believe this belongs to you," she said as she held up a small white envelope. Lincoln's eyes widened in excitement as he took the envelope and double-checked its contents, and he breathed a huge sigh of relief when he discovered his movie tickets were still intact. He couldn't help but give Lucy a big hug in return, exclaiming, "Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! You saved my afternoon!"

"Anytime, Lincoln," she replied in a stoic tone.

"Where'd you find them?"

"On the floor in the living room," Lucy said. "A bit of advice: keep these in a safe place. You still have four hours to go before your movie starts."

"I know, but I'm too excited," Lincoln countered. "I just...gah, I can't wait!"

"Sigh. Believe me, I understand your frustration," Lucy assured him. "The season premiere of Vampires Of Melancholia is in two months, and I can barely contain myself." Lincoln took one look at her stoic, emotionless figure and remarked, "Yeah...I can tell."

"Thank you," she replied with a slight nod. "Nevertheless, my point is: _be careful._ Don't let a careless mistake keep you from seeing your movie."

"Sure thing, Luce. And thanks again."

"Anytime." She walked into the room she shared with Lynn as Lincoln headed downstairs to the kitchen. He pinned the envelope to the refrigerator with a magnet as he reached inside and grabbed a milk carton, as well as a loaf of bread and two jars of peanut butter and sauerkraut. As he shut the refrigerator door, he heard a muffled giggle from behind him. He paid it no mind as he sat down at the kitchen table, poured a glass of milk and began to make his sandwich. However, when Lincoln opened the jar of peanut butter, a large spring snake shot out and startled him backwards onto the floor, with the projectile sailing through the air and colliding with the refrigerator. On cue, Luan poked her head around the corner and cracked, "Don't worry, Lincoln! I'll help you up in a _Jif!_ Hahahahaha! Get it?"

Lincoln groaned and rolled his eyes as Luan helped him to his feet, and he let out a pained groan and rubbed the back of his head. When she saw that, Luan grew concerned as she asked, "You okay? You want me to get you some ice?"

"No, I'm fine," he grumbled as he picked up the snake. "It's-" As he looked at the refrigerator door, he was struck with panic once again as the spot where the envelope had been was now bare. Lincoln's pupils dilated in shock as he screamed, "NOT AGAIN!" Luan blinked in confusion and asked, "What'chu talkin' 'bout, Lincoln?"

"I put my movie tickets on the fridge, and the snake must've knocked them down! I'm willing to bet they landed underneath," he said as he pointed to the floor beneath the appliance. "Can you give me a hand moving this thing?"

"I'll do you one better; I'll give you two! Hahahahaha!" Lincoln rolled his eyes as they took opposite sides of the fridge and began to move it with hard, firm pulls, taking care not to rock it or tip it over. Once it was moved out of the way, the giant clod of dirt and dust beneath it indicated that not only was that part of the floor way past overdue for a cleaning, but that their work would be cut out for them. At least it would have been, if not for Luan noticing a small white envelope sticking out amongst the detritus.

"Is this it, Linc?" she asked as she handed the envelope to him. He blew the dust off of it, checked the tickets, and after finding they were still intact, he responded, "Yeah, that's them, all right! Thanks for your help!"

"No problem," Luan replied with a smile as Lincoln put the envelope in his pocket. "You ready to go a _fridge_ too far one more time?" Lincoln merely gave her an unimpressed stare before she added, "But seriously, we need to put the fridge back where it was."

"Good point." Once again, brother and sister took opposite sides of the appliance and began to move it back to its intended resting place, but as they moved it back, it briefly caught on a piece of gunk and lifted up in the air. Gravity took its course after a few seconds, and the front of the fridge came down...right on top of Lincoln's foot. He let out a pained scream as Luan lifted the appliance off of him, and he took his right shoe and sock off to get a better look at the wound. Nothing appeared to be broken, but judging from the initial impact, there would be a nasty bruise later. After she put the fridge back, Luan grabbed some ice, put it in a baggie and applied it to Lincoln's injured foot.

"I'm really sorry about that, Linc."

"Yeah...me too." His narrowed eyes and sharp tone took Luan aback as he got up and limped to the couch, and she thought to herself, _It was an accident, Lincoln. You know I'd never hurt you on purpose._ Regardless, Lincoln settled in on the couch, kept the ice on his foot, and turned the TV to a summer rerun of ARGGH! as he typed a text message to Lori on his phone. Once the message was sent, he narrowed his eyes and mumbled, "Don't forget."

* * *

"Oh, how _could_ I forget, Boo-Boo Bear? This was the place we had our very first date!"

"Yeah," Bobby replied as he let out a nervous chuckle and rubbed the back of his neck. "Let's just hope today goes better than that day did."

"Well, it's not raining," Lori replied with a shrug and a grin. "So far, so good on the weather side of things." Bobby nodded and, without taking his eyes off of her, opened the door for her and ushered her inside Jean Juan's French-Mex with a courteous, "After you, milady." Lori, for her part, never took her eyes off of Bobby as she accepted his invitation by tossing back her hair and fluttering her eyelashes at him, accompanied by a sultry reply of, "Thank you very much, kind sir." When she turned around, she saw a server approaching from her left and stopped just in time, allowing him to carry his tray filled with food to the next room. She wiped her brow in relief as Bobby joined her at the hostess desk, and they were soon led to a table for two right at the back of the restaurant.

After they sat down, Bobby reached across the table and held Lori's hands, his eyes gazing deep into hers. Lori echoed his sentiments and stared deep into Bobby's eyes as content, grateful smiles appeared on their faces. Once the waiter standing by the table cleared his throat, however, they snapped back to reality.

"Hola, and bienvenue to Jean Juan's," the waiter said. "Can I start you off with some drinks?"

"Absolutely," Lori replied. "I'll take some sparkling water, please."

"I'll have the same," Bobby added.

"Magnifique! I'll be right back with your drinks." As he headed for the bar, a server arrived with a giant tray of tortilla chips and salsa and placed a bowl of each on the table for them to share. Bobby couldn't help but laugh and exclaim, "Is it just me, or is today turning out to be the best day ever?"

"It's not just you, Boo-Boo Bear," Lori replied. "This literally _is_ the best day ever. I love you so, so much."

"I love you too, babe," he said with a warm smile. He dipped a chip in salsa and dangled it in front of Lori as a small glob of tomato fell onto her napkin, beckoning her to take a bite. She obliged by taking the chip in her teeth and indulging in the flavor as Bobby ate a chip himself. He alternated between feeding Lori and feeding himself as they powered their way through the bowl, and once their drinks were delivered, the waiter grinned and remarked, "I see you two are enjoying our nachos. Have you decided what to order?"

"Yeah," Bobby replied. "I'll have the ratatouille burrito." Lori swallowed the food in her mouth and added, "And I'll have the duck confit tacos. Softshell."

"Excellent choices, both. I shall return." The waiter put the order in as Bobby and Lori continued to plow through the tortilla chips, and it wasn't long before the bowl was empty. They didn't have to wait for a refill, however, as their food arrived almost as soon as the last chip was eaten. They shared their respective meals with each other and relished in the different flavors, whether it was the tenderness of the duck or the various spices added to the vegetables. Once their plates were clean, they flagged down their waiter and Lori asked, "Would you mind getting a picture or two of us on the dance floor? We'd really appreciate it."

"Of course." The waiter stood at the ready as Bobby put his tango lessons to good use, guiding Lori to the dance floor with a confident grin. She followed his lead as they proceeded to perform a passionate dance of love, their eyes firmly locked upon each other. As the mariachi band played on, they danced on as the waiter took several photos of them, each one more fluid and expressive than the last. But there was no photo more fluid and expressive than the final one he took; after the mariachi band finished their song, Bobby held onto Lori with both arms and dipped her down towards the floor as she held onto him and stared into his eyes. They both moved in for a kiss, and as soon as their lips met, the waiter snapped the picture.

* * *

His episode of ARGGH! completed, Lincoln trudged upstairs to his bedroom, wincing in pain as he applied pressure to his injured foot. Once he reached the top of the stairs, he hissed through his teeth and applied the ice pack, which caught Lisa's attention as she stepped out of the room she shared with Lily. "Excuse me, elder sibling," she said in her unmistakable lisp. "I'm judging by your sharp intake of breath that you have been injured in some way."

"Yeah," Lincoln groaned. "I took a refrigerator to the foot." Lisa knelt down and took the injured limb in her hands, studying the point of impact and nodding her head. "Luckily, nothing appears to be broken," she said as she adjusted her glasses. "However, if you wish to prevent the pain and eventual hematoma that will arise from this mishap, I have something that could help."

"Really? What is it?" Lisa took him by the hand and led her into her room; when Lily saw him arrive, she stood up in her crib and babbled, "Winkon!" He picked her up with a smile and cradled her in his arms as Lisa brought a small tube of ointment from her workstation. Lincoln raised his eyebrow in suspicion and asked, "Is that one of your inventions? If it is, I wanna know what I'm getting myself into."

"This is merely a tube of Arnicare," Lisa replied as she handed it to him. "I normally tend to stay away from homeopathic medicines, but even I could not deny the effectiveness of this product. Hold still, if you would." Lincoln did as he was instructed as Lisa applied the ointment to the top of his foot, and within a few seconds, the pain began to subside as the product did its work. Lincoln sighed with relief as he put Lily back in her crib and slipped his sock and shoe back on, but when he went to shake Lisa's hand, he noticed the label on the tube of ointment had begun to peel off. His suspicion returned as he asked, "Lisa, are you _sure_ this is Arnicare?"

"Ummm..._yes?"_ she replied with an insincere smile. Lincoln narrowed his eyes and grabbed the tube from her, peeling the sticker off to reveal handwriting that said TEST CREAM #1. His heart began to race as he grabbed Lisa by the scruff of her sweater and demanded, "What the heck did you do to me?!"

"I did nothing harmful, brother unit," Lisa assured him. "I apologize for tricking you, but there was no other way for me to test this concoction. I needed to wait for someone to get hurt, and since you were the first person that did, you were the guinea pig." Lincoln slapped his forehead in frustration, took a deep breath, and exclaimed, "Of course I was! And what kind of cream is it, dare I ask? Am I gonna grow an extra toe? Is my foot gonna grow or shrink or something? What?!"

"Calm down, Lincoln," Lisa said as she put up her hands. "This cream is nothing but a combination of aloe vera, peppermint, and a special assortment of ingredients designed to relieve pain. Though at times it may seem otherwise, I would never intentionally harm you. After all, we're family."

Although his foot had started to feel better, the fact that he had been tricked soured Lincoln's mood as he exited the bedroom with a curt, "Thanks." Lisa had only managed to say the first syllable of "You're welcome" before Lincoln slammed the door, and once he was in his bedroom, he took his right shoe and sock off once again to look at his injured foot. Although a bruise was indeed beginning to form, he felt little, if any, pain. Lincoln took another deep breath and mumbled, "You're lucky, Lisa."

He put his sock and shoe back on and headed to the bathroom, but as he passed by Luan and Luna's room, a sudden loud guitar chord rang out and slammed him against the opposite wall with the force of its volume. The vibrations rattled him to the bone and shook the envelope out of his pocket as he struggled to regain his footing, but Luna's guitar solo was just getting started. The door to their room blew open and she did a powerslide into the hallway, grinding her left knee against the envelope as she shredded to her heart's content. Lincoln tried in vain to yell over the din, but his voice was drowned out by the chords and riffs Luna laid down. When she finally opened her eyes and saw Lincoln pinned to the wall, she halted her jam session and peeled him off with an apologetic, "Sorry, bro. You okay?" Lincoln teetered like a drunk for a few seconds before he shook the cobwebs out of his head and replied with a terse, "Not really, Luna. Can you hand me that envelope, please?"

"No problem." She did as she was instructed, and after Lincoln took the crumpled-up parcel in his hand, he checked the tickets and shoved it back in his pocket. He entered the bathroom and headed straight for the sink, splashing water on his face and staring at his reflection in the mirror. "Calm down, Lincoln," he told himself. "It's gonna be fine. It's almost 4, and Dad should be home any minute. If Lori doesn't get home by 5, Mom and Dad are gonna take you. Calm down." No sooner had he said that than his cell phone rang, and he pulled it out of his opposite pants pocket and answered it. "Hello?"

"Lincoln, it's your father," Lynn Sr. replied in a breathless, weary voice. "Listen, kiddo, I've got good news and bad news. The good news is, we got through those three parties with no issues. The bad news is, right after they cleared out, a high school softball team showed up! It looks like I'm gonna be staying a lot longer than I thought I would, so I won't be able to take you to your movie. I'm sorry."

"No need to apologize, Dad," Lincoln replied through clenched teeth as his eyebrow began to twitch. "I'm sure Lori will be home any minute now." He hung up the phone, grabbed a towel from the rack and pressed it to his face, letting out a scream of frustration and anger.

* * *

Lori let out a scream of surprise and adoration as a dress in the mall window of Lacy's caught her eye, and she grabbed Bobby by the hand and made a mad dash into the store. One trip to the fitting room later, she emerged wearing the dark blue garment and making a fashionable pose, with Bobby remarking, "Wow, babe! That dress looks amazing on you!"

"Doesn't it, though?" Lori replied with a grin. Her impromptu fashion show continued as she tried on a flashy yellow summer blouse, a cherry red gown, a light blue bikini, and, just for the heck of it, a denim jacket and blue jeans. That final outfit took Bobby by surprise, and his eyes widened in astonishment as he exclaimed, "Wow, babe! Those other outfits were nice, but...this is amazing! You look _good!"_

"Why, thank you, Boo-Boo Bear," she said with a sultry grin. "Let's see if we can find some outfits for you." Bobby grinned as Lori changed back into her blue tank top and brown cargo shorts, and she placed her clothes in a shopping cart as they headed to the men's section. As her Boo-Boo Bear picked out a series of dress shirts, Lori cycled through the photos they had taken throughout the day. Their selfie in the grass. Bobby laughing as Lori tickled him, the roles of which were reversed two pictures later. A selfie in front of Jean Juan's. A selfie _inside_ Jean Juan's. Several photos of the two of them in mid-dance. The best photo of all, however, was the final one in the set: her and Bobby arm in arm, with their lips locked together in a passionate kiss. Her heart fluttered and she let out a dreamy sigh as she posted the picture to her Instagram account with the caption "Best. Day. EVER!" alongside a pair of heart emojis. When she was done, she saw that Bobby's arms were filled with shirts, and he said, "I'm ready when you are, babe."

"Perfect. Now let's see how good _you_ look." As Bobby ducked into the fitting room, Lori stood next to a nearby rack of clothes and activated her camera, ignoring the text message notifications on her screen. As Bobby modeled his outfits for her, she acted like a fashion photographer and took pictures of him from every angle, exclaiming, "Oh yeah, Boo-Boo Bear! Work it! You're a drop dead gorgeous piece of man in that denim! Let's see your dangerous face! There we go! Wink and a grin! Give me a wink and a grin! Perfect! You're a star, Boo-Boo Bear! My beautiful star!"

"Thanks, babe," he said as he began to blush. Once their little fashion show was complete, they each picked out their favorite outfit-Bobby chose a checkered dress shirt and a pair of black pants while Lori chose the denim jacket and pants-and left the rest on the return cart, each piece of clothing folded as neatly as possible. Once everything was bought and paid for, they headed out into the Royal Woods Mall and made a beeline for the food court. "What do you say to a slice of pizza, babe?" Bobby asked. "My treat."

"That sounds perfect, Boo-Boo Bear," Lori replied with a smile.

* * *

Lincoln grabbed his phone and sent Lori another text as he stormed out of the bathroom, grumbling to himself as he passed by the twins' room. He wasn't running, but he was still moving at a relatively brisk pace, and this did not go unnoticed by Lola and Lana. They stepped out of their room, clad in dark sunglasses and a pair of homemade hall monitor sashes, and held up their hands. "Hold up there, buster," Lola ordered. "You know the rule! No running in the halls!"

"I wasn't running, Lola," Lincoln argued. "I was briskly walking!"

"Which, technically, is another way to say _running!"_ Lana exclaimed as she got in Lincoln's face. "I hope you've got the money to pay for this infraction!" Lincoln slapped his forehead in frustration and rolled his eyes, grumbling, "I don't have time for this. Please, just get out of my way and-"

"YOU BACK-TALKING US?!" Lola yelled. "There's a penalty for back-talkers 'round these parts! Lana, search his pockets!" The handywoman rolled up her sleeves and began to pat Lincoln down; she pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, looked it over, and put it back, but when she pulled the envelope out of his other pocket, Lincoln's face turned as white as his hair and he exclaimed, "NO! Don't you dare, Lana!"

"And what do we have here?" she asked as she opened the envelope. "Huh. A couple of tickets to the Muscle Fish movie...and it starts in about two hours. How about we hold onto these for safekeeping?" Lincoln gritted his teeth and snarled, "Lana, I _swear-"_

"NO SWEARING IN THE HALLS!" Lola thundered. "You open your mouth one more time and it's jail for you, buddy!"

"Are you kidding me?!"

"All right, she warned you," Lana said as she and Lola grabbed Lincoln and dragged him into their bedroom. A large cardboard box designed to look like the front of a prison cell laid in the middle of the room, and they forced Lincoln underneath it and placed heavy tools from Lana's toolbox on the flaps to keep it weighted down. "All right, buster, your ten minutes start right now," Lola said. "One word from your lips and I reset the clock! You understand?"

_"Yes, I understand."_

"Lana! Reset the clock!" Lincoln clenched his fists and pounded them into the floor, cursing himself for falling for one of the oldest tricks in the book. Lana took the envelope and placed it underneath her hat, leaving Lincoln with no choice but to sit idle for the next ten minutes. And sit idle he did, staring daggers at the twins the entire time. Once the timer began to beep and let him know the ten minutes was up, he pushed the box over, rose to his feet, marched towards Lana and held out his hand, saying, "Okay, you've had your fun. Can I have my tickets back, please?"

"Absolutely," she replied as she reached under her hat. When she did, Lincoln could see her eyes widening behind her sunglasses and her mouth curling into an expression that screamed, "oh crap." He let out a weary, frustrated sigh and asked, "What? Don't tell me you lost my tickets! Heck, how _could_ you lose my tickets?!"

"I didn't lose them," she replied as she removed her hat and hung her head. "They're right here." Izzy, Lana's pet lizard, held the envelope in his teeth, and Lincoln was shocked to find that it had been chewed up at the corners, scratched through in three spots and was riddled with bite marks. He grabbed the envelope from Izzy's mouth and stammered in shock as he felt the anger and frustration building to a breaking point. All the while, Lana's face was a mask of guilt as she said, "I...forgot I had Izzy underneath my hat. I'm really sorry, Lincoln."

Her brother's only response was a loud, angry scream as he stomped out of the twins' bedroom and slammed the door. He retreated to his bedroom and checked the tickets; somehow, by the grace of God, they were still intact. Lincoln breathed a sigh of relief and calmed himself down before pulling his cell phone from his pocket and calling Clyde. The phone rang three times before Harold answered with a friendly, "McBride residence. May I ask who's calling?"

"Hi, Mr. McBride. It's Lincoln."

"Lincoln! Clyde's told Howard and I all about this Muscle Fish movie you're going to see tonight! I bet you're excited!"

"Like you wouldn't believe," Lincoln replied with a determined grin. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Sure. What did you need?"

"Well, my sister promised me she'd take us to the movie, but..." Lincoln gritted his teeth in anger and let out an angry sigh. _"...something came up._ So I asked my dad, but he had to help out at his restaurant and can't take us. So, would _you_ be able to take us?" On the other end of the line, Harold tugged at his shirt collar and replied, "I'd love to, Lincoln, but..."

"But? But what?"

"Well, you see, our car...had a teensy little bit of a mechanical issue," Harold explained. "Howie had it towed to a garage, and it's getting fixed as we speak."

"Oh geez...what happened?"

"From what I could gather, the engine was revving a lot harder than normal when the car was in park, and when Howie tried putting it in drive, the darn thing conked out. I had just gotten off the phone with him when you called, and he said they just started fixing it, so...as much as I'd love to be your chauffeur, I can't." Harold sighed in resignation and added, "It's hard to do that when you don't have a car."

"Hey, don't worry about it," Lincoln assured him. "I'll just give Lori a call and she'll be over in no time. Thanks for trying, though."

"No problem, Lincoln. Talk to you soon!"

"You too!" As soon as Lincoln hung up, the smile on his face dropped into an angry, full-toothed grimace as he once again texted Lori. His right eye began to twitch as he exited his room, and before he could reach the stairs, Lynn burst out of her room clad in a karate gi and dropped into a fighting stance. "It's sparring time, Stinkoln," she declared. "Come on! Let's see what you've got!"

"Not interested, Lynn," he grumbled as he walked past her and started down the stairs.

"I wasn't _asking_ you," she replied as she grabbed him by the waist and pulled him back up to the second floor. "I was _telling_ you! Now let's go!" She came at him with a flying kick that hit Lincoln square in the chest, knocking the wind out of his lungs and the envelope from his pocket. He tried in vain to reach for it, but Lynn was too quick and began raining a series of jabs down upon him. Lincoln could only watch as the envelope landed on the edge of the third step down and began to teeter back and forth, threatening to fall. This galvanized him into action and he blocked Lynn's attacks, fighting her off with a quick series of kicks and punches. Lynn was caught off guard by the speed and fury of his counter, and she blocked his blows as best she could, but a couple of strikes got her in the stomach and chest. Those particular blows seemed to have a bit more oomph behind them than usual, and judging by the furious glare in his eyes, Lynn began to realize she'd made a mistake.

"Time! Hold on! I call time!" Lincoln stopped his attack and turned around, trying in vain to grab the tickets, but he was too late. Gravity won and the envelope fluttered into the living room, landing on top of a pile of paper lying in a box labeled TO BE SHREDDED. Smoothie in hand, Leni approached the stack and noticed the dirty, wrecked envelope sitting on top of the pile, scrunching her face in disgust as she picked it up and said, "Ew. Like, you're gonna be the _first_ to go." Lincoln's pupils dilated in shock and he tore down the stairs with a big "NO!" as Leni activated the paper shredder. Upon hearing her brother's scream, she shut the machine off and asked, "What's wrong, Linky?"

His eyes were the size of dinner plates and his heart hammered in his chest as he begged her, "Leni, you _can't_ shred that envelope!"

"Why not? It's all dirty and yucky and torn up!"

"Please! My movie tickets are in there!" Leni opened the envelope and peeked inside, pulling out two small pieces of paper. _"Oh,_ okay. Here's your tickets, and I'll just get rid of that grody envelope."

_"Thank_ you!" Lincoln grabbed the tickets and shoved them in his pocket before he checked the time on his phone. 5:09. His blood began to boil as he called Lori's phone directly and let her have it, screaming the last two sentences before he hung up and shoved his phone back in his pocket. Just to be safe, he checked the tickets one more time, but instead of admission passes to the Muscle Fish movie, they were a receipt and a rewards program certificate. And at that moment, Leni re-activated the paper shredder.

Time slowed to a crawl as Lincoln bolted towards his elder sister, but it was too late. He could only watch as Leni placed the envelope in the jaws of the shredder, and within five seconds, his best day ever had turned into a best day _never._ He sank to his knees and stammered, "No...no...no...my tickets...gone...GONE!" He slammed his fist into the floor as Leni asked, "Why are you so upset, Linky? I gave you your tickets, so-"

He brandished the pieces of paper in front of her face, and after she read them over, she gasped in horror and knelt down to console him. Before she could get a word out, however, the sound of keys in the front door and the voice that echoed through the house after the door was opened turned Lincoln's day from bad to worse. Lynn Sr. wiped the sweat from his brow and exclaimed, "Wow, am I glad _that's _over! Lincoln, give me five minutes to get changed and I'll get you and Clyde to your movie as fast as I can!" He ran to his bedroom and shut the door as Lincoln's remaining sisters stood behind him, with Leni joining them and giving him space as his frustration began to reach a boiling point. Luan was the first to speak, and her voice was timid and apologetic as she said, "Lincoln...we're really sorry."

"Yeah," Lana added. "Especially Izzy. Isn't that right, boy?" The lizard nodded as Lynn stepped forward and said, "We don't blame you for being angry, but it's no big deal. Your movie's still gonna-"

"No big deal?!" Lincoln rose to his feet and whirled around to face his sisters, and they were shocked at how angry he truly was. The vein in his forehead throbbed with every beat of his heart, his face was a dark hue of red, and angry tears sat at the corners of his eyes. _"NO BIG DEAL?!"_

"Lincoln, it's just a movie," Lola said.

"NO! IT'S _NOT_ JUST A MOVIE! Clyde and I bought those tickets _weeks_ ago! We had everything planned out until _you_ ruined it!" That statement caused his sisters' moods to change from sympathetic to offended as Lucy said, "I told you to be careful with those tickets, yet you insist that _we_ ruined your day? How is this our fault?"

"IT JUST IS! This was supposed to be the best day of my life, but what do I get instead?! I get a refrigerator to the foot, tricked into being Lisa's guinea pig _AGAIN,_ plastered to the wall by a guitar solo, 'arrested' by a couple of overzealous hall monitors, attacked by a karate-chopping maniac, and to watch my tickets get destroyed! I can't...I can't..." His frustration choked off his words as he clenched his fists and hyperventilated, and when he regained his bearings, he declared, "Just...get away from me! I don't even wanna _look_ at any of you right now!" His sisters remained rooted to the spot as Lincoln yelled, "ARE YOU DEAF?! I SAID-"

Before his tirade could continue, the door to the house opened once again and a smiling, content Lori entered with her arms full of shopping bags. The minute he saw her, Lincoln shifted his attention by jabbing his finger at her and exclaiming, _"YOU!"_

"Me?" Lori asked incredulously. "What did I do?"

"You're really gonna stand there and ask that question?! I was counting on you, Lori! You _promised_ that you'd take Clyde and I to the Muscle Fish movie, but you just forgot about it as soon as your _precious Bobby Boo-Boo Bear_ shows up! Did you even bother to look at any of my texts or listen to my voicemails?!" Lori brought up her lock screen and saw that there were indeed a series of notifications proving Lincoln right. Her happiness turned to regret and the bags dropped off of her arm as she said, "Lincoln...I'm-"

"I DON'T WANNA HEAR IT! Heck, I'm willing to bet that you and Bobby had the _best day ever,_ didn't you?! You probably just sat there taking selfies, fawning over each other with hearts in your eyes, didn't you?! I sent you _four texts!_ I left _two voicemails!_ I waited _all afternoon_ for you to call me back, but did you?! DID YOU?!"

Lori opened her mouth to reply, but Lincoln cut her off with a scream of, "NO! YOU DIDN'T! Your precious boyfriend was more important than your promise! Your precious boyfriend was more important than helping out your little brother! Your precious boyfriend was more important than _me!_ I can't _believe_ you!"

By that point, Lincoln's anger had begun to rub off on Lori. Her remorse had given way to shock, but at this point, her shock had turned into a pair of narrowed eyes, clenched teeth and a pair of opening and closing fists. Lori could feel the anger building within her as she snarled, "Lincoln...if you've got something to say, _then say it."_ And at that crucial point, the top blew off the mountain.

"Fine! Lori, _you are a selfish, self-centered, inconsiderate CLOD, and I hope Bobby breaks up with you!"_

A shocked collective gasp emanated from the group behind him as he stood his ground, staring daggers at his eldest sister. Lori, on the other hand, saw red. She stalked up to him with white-hot fury in her eyes, raised her hand and screamed, _"WHY YOU LITTLE...!"_

Two seconds later, a loud, painful smack echoed through the house.


	2. One Angry Person

Silence hung in the air like a thick fog as the Loud siblings tried to process what they had just witnessed. Across the room, the blind rage began to subside as Lori gathered her wits and took stock of the situation before her. Her remaining sisters all stood with mouths agape and eyes as wide as dinner plates, and Lucy broke the silence with a question delivered in a mixture of fury and disappointment: "Lori..._what have you done?"_

Lori stared down at her little brother...holding the side of his face...his mouth agape with shock...tears welling in his eyes...breathing heavily...and that was when she felt the throbbing in the palm of her right hand. When she brought it to eye level, the painful truth was revealed: the skin of her palm had turned a bright shade of red. She glanced at it, then back at Lincoln, and put two and two together. Once the magnitude of her actions hit her, she felt her entire body run cold.

_Oh my God...oh God, no..._

Lori dropped to her knees and put her hands on Lincoln's shoulders as her eyes bulged in panic and regret. Her voice began to break as she exclaimed, "Lincoln! Lincoln, I am so, _so_ sorry! Please, I...I don't know what came over me! It was a mistake! I'm sorry! _I'm sorry! I'm-"_

Her apology was cut short when a pair of hands drove into her chest and pushed her away with as much force as they could muster. Lori landed on her butt and found herself staring straight into the furious, betrayed eyes of her little brother, whose tears were now flowing despite the sheer anger written on his face. She reached out towards him and gave a feeble, "L...Lincoln...please..."

His only response was to clench his eyes shut and race up the stairs, never stopping until he reached his room. The loud slam of the door echoed through the house, leaving his sisters standing in complete shock downstairs. As the nonet turned their attention to her, sweat poured down Lori's brow as she tried to find the words to explain, but all that escaped her lips was a series of wordless gasps. A string of narrowed eyes and disapproving shakes of the head ensued as Lola broke the silence with a shrill scream of, "MOM! DAD! LORI JUST SLAPPED LINCOLN ACROSS THE FACE!"

A simultaneous yell of "SHE _WHAT?!"_ thundered through the living room as Lynn Sr. and Rita marched to the foot of the stairs and glared down at their eldest daughter. The looks on her sisters' faces were bad enough, but the sheer disappointment on her parents' faces was a whole other matter entirely as Lori slowly rose to her feet and looked them in the eyes. Lynn Sr. crossed his arms over his chest and demanded, "Lori Marie Loud, is that true?" Unable to find the words, she merely hung her head and gave her father a sad nod.

"Unbelievable," he sighed.

"We are very, _very_ disappointed in you, young lady," Rita said as she put her hands on her hips. "You go upstairs and apologize to your brother this instant!"

"She tried, Mom," Lynn Jr. replied. "Lincoln didn't wanna hear it, so he pushed her aside and ran to his room." Her sisters' voices echoed in a chorus of agreement before Luna cut in and said, "Lincoln's not completely innocent, though. He was yelling at all of us before he turned on Lori."

"Really?" Rita asked. "What happened?"

"As you know, our brother was planning on seeing a motion picture-street name 'movie'-with Clyde this afternoon," Lisa explained. "However, through a series of unfortunate mishaps and some rather poor timing on our part, the tickets he possessed wound up getting destroyed."

"Yeah," Leni added. "Like, Linky started yelling at us for ruining his tickets, and when Lori got home, he started yelling at her. The thing is, though, she didn't ruin his tickets. She just broke her promise to take Linky and Clyde to the movie because she spent the whole day with Bobby." After a few seconds of thought, Leni's expression darkened and she exclaimed, "HEY! That was really selfish of you, Lori!"

"I know!" Lori cried. _"I know!_ I screwed up!"

"And not only that, you should have known better. I understand being in a long-distance relationship is hard, and I understand that you were excited to see Bobby," Lynn Sr. said as he looked into his eldest daughter's tear-stained eyes. "But you made a promise to your brother, and you broke it."

"He had a right to be angry," Rita added, "but you had _no_ right whatsoever to slap him! What on earth were you thinking?" Lori hung her head and sadly replied, "I _wasn't_ thinking. He called me a selfish, self-centered, inconsiderate clod and said he hoped Bobby would break up with me, and when he said that..." She looked down at her hand, which still stung from the impact, and fresh tears began falling from her eyes as she finished her sentence: "I saw red, and I just...reacted."

"Well, in that case, here's _our_ reaction." Rita turned her attention to the cluster of sisters behind her and ordered, "Girls, you owe Lincoln a pair of movie tickets. Pool some of your allowances together and get that taken care of." The sisters gave a collective nod of understanding as their parents turned their attention back to Lori. "And as for _you,_ young lady," Lynn Sr. said, "starting now, you're grounded for the rest of the month _or_ until you reconcile with Lincoln. Do you understand?"

Lori nodded.

"Good. And as for your brother, we'll talk to him about this after he settles down. But right now, get upstairs and go to your room."

"Okay." Lori gave her sisters a sad glance as she climbed upstairs, but before she headed to her abode, she decided to make a detour. She approached Lincoln's bedroom door, steeling herself for a possible confrontation as she prepared to knock. However, before her knuckles could touch wood, she heard Lincoln talking to Clyde on his computer and put her ear to the door, listening in on their conversation.

"She did _what?"_

"THIS!" Lincoln pointed to the large red mark on his cheek and yelled, "She slapped me across the face!"

"Whoa...are you okay, Lincoln?"

"No, Clyde. I'm pretty far from okay. More than that, I'm _hurt."_

"Yeah, I can see that."

"I mean emotionally," Lincoln said with a sigh. "Lori _promised_ that she'd take us to the movie. She _promised_ that she had nothing going on today. She _promised_ that we'd have a ride. But she just tossed me aside as soon as Bobby showed up!"

"That _fiend!"_ Clyde exclaimed as he pounded his fist into his palm.

"Who the heck does she think she is?! I don't regret a single thing I said to her, and as far as I'm concerned, I don't care if I ever see or talk to her again! When she moves out, I'm gonna throw the biggest party Franklin Avenue has ever seen!"

Clyde cringed and recoiled at his friend's anger, asking, "Lincoln, don't you think that's a little harsh? I mean, at the end of the day, she's your sister. You can't stay mad at her forever."

_"She slapped me, Clyde!_ And the only reason she apologized was to cover her butt! If she's gonna act that way with me, then she doesn't _deserve_ to be my sister!" On the other side of the door, Lori felt her heart shatter into pieces as she covered her mouth and choked back a sob. _There's no way he's gonna forgive me,_ she thought. _What have I done?_

With no other options, she hung her head and shuffled to the room she shared with Leni. When she sat down on the foot of her bed, she pulled her phone out of her pocket and activated it. The text messages she'd ignored and the voicemails Lincoln had left were the first things that greeted her on the lock screen, and as she cycled through the texts, she could feel Lincoln's frustration and anger through the words she read.

12:33 pm, shortly after her and Bobby left the house. _Muscle Fish 6. Dont forget!_  
3:04 pm. _Why arent you answering? Movies in 3 hours!_  
4:09 pm. _MUSCLE FISH! TWO HOURS! GET HOME NOW!_  
5:01 pm. _ANSWER YOUR PHONE!_

The voicemails were next, and after she entered the password for her mailbox, the first message began to play. "Hey Lori, it's Lincoln. I sent you a text a few minutes ago, and I'm gonna give you a verbal reminder too. The Muscle Fish movie starts at 6 tonight. Make sure you're home before then. Don't forget!"

The second and final message, however, was left at 5:09 pm according to her phone, and the cheerful tones of the first message had been replaced with frustration and anger. "Thanks a lot, Lori! Thanks a lot! It's ten minutes past five, and you _still_ haven't returned any of my texts or phone calls! Dad's still at the restaurant, Clyde's dads don't have a car right now, and meanwhile, you're just flat-out ignoring me! There's no way Clyde and I are gonna make it to the Muscle Fish movie on time! Well, I guess now I know what a promise from you is worth: _LESS THAN NOTHING!_ HAVE FUN WITH YOUR PRECIOUS BOO-BOO BEAR!"

Guilt pooled in Lori's chest as she hung up her phone and put it in its charger. As soon as it turned off, she heard the Wedding March begin to play on her iPad. When Lori brought up her Facetime app, Bobby's smiling face was the first thing she saw.

"Hey, babe! Don't worry, I'm not driving; I got a hotel room for the night. Just wanted to give you a call and say thanks for a great time today! It was really good seeing you again!" A call from her Boo-Boo Bear was always something Lori looked forward to, but with the evening's events still weighing on her mind, his smiling face made hers contort in grief and caused a flood of tears and sobs to spring forth. On the other end of the line, Bobby gasped in shock and exclaimed, "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Lori, babe, what's wrong?"

"I screwed up, Boo-Boo Bear," she cried. "I literally ruined Lincoln's special day!"

"Calm down, babe. Deep breaths. What happened?"

Lori did as she was told and regained enough composure to talk. "I was supposed to take him and Clyde to see the Muscle Fish movie. I mean, I literally promised him I would. But then you stopped by, and...when you did, I completely forgot about it." Bobby felt a pang of regret as he rubbed the back of his neck and said, "Oh...geez, babe, I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"But I did. And I...I should've known better." Lori wiped her eyes and said, "I could've made it a date. You, me, Lincoln and Clyde. But I was too selfish to-"

"Don't beat yourself up about it," Bobby assured her. "Heck, if anything, I'm the one to blame."

"No, you're not. Like you said, you didn't know. _I'm_ the one to blame. I promised Lincoln I'd take him to the movie, and when you showed up, I just...tossed him aside like he didn't even matter. I love you, Bobby, but when it comes to Lincoln..."

"Hey, I get it," he replied with an understanding smile. "I feel the same way about Ronnie Anne. I love you too, but family's family, you know?"

"Yeah...I do." Lori sighed and bowed her head, saying, "I tried apologizing to him, but he ran straight to his room. And the truth is...that's only part of the reason he's so mad at me."

"What's the other part?" Bobby asked with a quizzical tilt of his head. Lori rubbed the back of her neck in hesitation and bit her lip as she asked, "Do _you_...promise you won't get mad at me?"

"I promise." Tears welled in Lori's eyes once again as she confessed her sin: "We got into a really bad argument, and...I just...I...I slapped him across the face!" Her revelation caused Bobby to recoil as if he were the one who had been slapped, and he exclaimed, "WHAT?! Lori, why the heck would you do that to my bro?! You should know better than that!"

"I have no excuses, Boo-Boo Bear! I just...I need to find a way to make it up to him, but I don't know what to do! I'm the worst sister _ever!"_

"KNOCK IT OFF, BABE!" Bobby's stern command snapped Lori to attention as he began to reason with her. "I'm disappointed that you hit him, but the fact that you're upset about what you did proves you're _not_ the worst sister ever. If you were, you'd be acting like nothing happened. I have an idea: try writing him some apology notes and placing them in certain spots all over your house."

Lori sniffled and asked, "You mean, places he goes all the time?"

"Exactly! The bathroom, his bedroom, the living room-if he reads what you've got to say, odds are he'll forgive you. I did the same thing when Nie Nie and I got into a fight a few weeks ago; some well-placed apology notes across the apartment and the bodega and we were cool as ice within the day!"

Lori cracked a broad, relieved smile and exclaimed, "You are literally a genius, Boo-Boo Bear! Thank you so, so much!"

"Anytime, babe. Good luck, and talk to you soon." When he hung up, Lori turned off the iPad and rooted around in her top dresser drawer, eventually finding a notebook, a pen and a stack of small envelopes. Determination was in her eyes as she sat down at Leni's sewing desk and began to write.

_I hope this works._

* * *

The repetitive buzzing of his digital alarm clock roused Lincoln from his slumber the next morning, and when he stepped out into the hallway, the line of sisters waiting to use the bathroom stood at two: Leni and Luan. He took his place behind his jokester sister, and when she heard the footsteps approaching, she turned around and exclaimed, "Mornin', Linc! You feeling o...kay?" Her cheerful greeting did a 180 into confused shock when she saw Lincoln's face. His steel-eyed glare and deep, irritated frown let the both of them know he was in no mood, and they stepped aside to allow him entrance to the bathroom. The door opened and Lana exited, glancing at Lincoln's face and glancing back just as fast when he narrowed his eyes at her. He entered the bathroom and began to brush his teeth when he heard the door close behind him. A quick glance in the mirror revealed the visage of the one person he didn't want to deal with, and he stared straight ahead at the wall as she began to speak.

"Hey, Lincoln. A...are you still mad about what happened last night?" The white-haired boy continued to brush his teeth as Lori stood behind him, not paying any attention to her as she continued talking. "You _are_ still mad...and I don't blame you. Listen, Lincoln, I'm really, really sorry about what I did."

He spat his toothpaste into the sink and began to gargle mouthwash, her words going in one ear and out the other as he concentrated on his morning routine. "This isn't me trying to cover my butt," Lori insisted. "This is from the heart." Lincoln paused and stood up straight for a few seconds upon hearing those words, but quickly returned to gargling and ignoring her. Meanwhile, Lori began to grow frustrated at her lack of progress, exclaiming, "Lincoln, come on! Don't you have anything to say to me?"

He spat the mouthwash into the sink and said, "Yeah. I do. Get out of my way." He pushed her aside and exited the bathroom, shooting her an acid glare as he shut the door behind him. Lori let out a sad sigh, but quickly perked up when she remembered the note she'd left in his room. "Once he sees that note in his comic, everything will be fine," she said to herself. "But just in case..." She stuck another note inside the medicine cabinet as Lincoln, now back in the confines of his room and clad in his socks and underwear, grabbed his latest issue of Ace Savvy and began to read. He was ten pages in when he felt a pointy object poke him in the chest, and he glanced down to see a small white paper laying on his stomach. He picked it up and tossed it in his garbage can sight unseen as he continued to read, mumbling, "Stupid subscription cards." Once he finished his comic, he put his shirt, pants and shoes on and headed for the stairs, but was stopped dead in his tracks when Lynn called out, "HEADS UP!"

Lincoln ducked just in time for a street hockey ball to sail over his head and crash into the wall of his bedroom, knocking his Amazing Space poster askew in the process. He narrowed his eyes and glared at his athletic sister, who sheepishly replied, "Heh heh...oops. You mind grabbin' that ball for me, Lincoln?"

"As a matter of fact..." He turned around and closed the door to his bedroom, then turned back to face Lynn with a smug, "I _do."_

"Come on, bro!" Lynn yelled. "That's the only street hockey ball I have! What else am I gonna use for practice?"

"That sounds like a whole lotta 'not my problem,' Lynn. Now leave me alone." He descended the stairs as Lynn opened the door and retrieved the hard plastic ball, but when she tapped the projectile past the stairs, she glanced down to the first floor with a look of concern and sadness. Meanwhile, Lincoln sat at the kitchen table and munched on his bowl of Zombie Bran, slugging down the remainder of his orange juice in between spoonfuls. He grabbed a small white object sitting on the table and wiped his mouth with it as he headed to the fridge to grab a new juice carton, but when he opened the door, there was none to be found. However, there was a pitcher filled with a bright orange liquid, and Lincoln grabbed it and headed back to the table. He poured himself a glass and was about to put it to his lips when he heard a familiar lisp exclaim, "LINCOLN, STOP!"

Lisa raced into the kitchen and grabbed the pitcher from the table and the glass from his hand. She dumped its contents back into the pitcher and returned it to the fridge, exclaiming, "You almost compromised my lipid sample!"

"Lisa," Lincoln hissed as he rose to his feet. "Why would you keep a sample of liquid fat right next to the milk and orange juice?"

"Because lipids require refrigeration, you doofus," she replied as she adjusted her glasses. "And this particular sample is of great interest to me."

"Oh, _really?_ Well, in that case..." Lincoln walked to the fridge and removed the pitcher, shoving it into Lisa's hands and ordering, "Keep it in your room! You have a fridge of your own!"

"Be that as it may, elder sibling, it is currently occupied with several other samples and experiments. There is no room to be had in my refrigeration unit at the moment."

"Then _make_ some room! Geez, for a genius, you sure are dumb!" Lisa let out an offended gasp and demanded, "And just what is _that_ supposed to mean?!"

"You know what I mean! Now leave me alone!" He tossed the small white object into the trash and headed for the living room as Lisa opened the refrigerator door, but before she returned her sample to the proper temperature, she wrote **LIPID SAMPLE: NOT FOR CONSUMPTION** on the container in black Magic Marker. She looked over her shoulder and let out a sad sigh as she shut the door before returning to her room. In the living room, Lincoln had the TV remote in his hand and pressed the power button, and when he did, a customized message greeted him when the device powered on: a simple, four-word sentence that read, "I love you, Lincoln." However, Lincoln disregarded the message and changed the channel to a morning rerun of ARGGH! His dour mood began to soften as Hunter Spector explored a haunted factory in the heart of Detroit, and Lincoln leaned forward in anticipation as Spector ran towards a door, exclaiming, "I just heard something in that room! Could it be a ghost? A poltergeist? A piece of the building that collapsed due to age and disuse? Who knows?! But it's my duty as Hunter Spector, Specter Hunter to find out! Let's go!"

The tension built as Spector crept up on the source of the noise, and Lincoln leaned further forward on the couch. His entire body began to tense up as he remained laser focused on the TV screen, not noticing a certain prankster creeping up behind him. Luan barely stifled a giggle as she stood behind the couch and raised an inflated brown paper bag above Lincoln's unsuspecting head. She didn't have to wait long to strike, for at the precise moment that Spector burst through the door, she popped the inflated bag. The noise sent Lincoln rocketing off of the couch with a terrified scream, and he landed on the floor with a loud _whump!_ All the while, Luan laughed hysterically at her prank and exclaimed, "Looks like all that tension made you _pop!_ Hahahahaha! Get it?"

Lincoln gritted his teeth as he got to his feet, staring daggers at Luan. His reaction caused the comedienne to cock her head in confusion and ask, "What? Was it something I said?" Upon closer inspection, however, she could see his hands were clenched in fists and his body trembled ever so slightly. "Lincoln," she asked with concern, "are you still mad about yesterday?"

"And what gave you _that_ idea?!" he yelled. "That's it! I'm going to the park!"

"No you're not," Rita called from her bedroom. "You're grounded, remember?"

"FINE! I guess I'll go to my room then! All of you, just _leave me alone!"_ He stomped upstairs to his room and slammed the door, then grabbed a pillow off of his bed and screamed into it as hard as he could. Downstairs, Lori peeked her head around the kitchen wall, saw the coast was clear and approached Luan, asking, "He didn't see it, did he?" The jokester's response was a sad shake of her head and an apologetic, "I'm sorry, sis. He changed the channel to ARGGH! as soon as he turned the TV on."

"Dang it." Lori let out a weary sigh and plopped down on the couch, burying her face in her hands. "What the heck else can I do? I've gotta think of something!"

"Well, big sis, we couldn't help but overhear your dilemma," Luna said as she entered the living room with her remaining sisters in tow. "We've got a bunch of ideas that are bound to work!"

"Really?"

"Of course," Lola said. "With our combined forces, Linky's bound to say sorry to us and accept your apology. After all, ten heads are better than one."

"At this rate, I'll take whatever I can get," Lori sighed. "What did you guys have in mind?"

* * *

The clock ticked over to 5 pm as Lincoln sat on the front porch, drinking a juice box and reading a book. The odd car and pedestrian passed by and provided white noise at differing intervals, but a different kind of noise was about to take over the neighborhood. Lincoln heard the door open and looked up to see Luna walking out with her guitar in tow. He paid her no mind as she stood on the opposite side of the porch, strummed a few chords and lightly sang to herself in preparation for what she was about to do. Now that she was warmed up, she turned to face Lincoln and began to play a series of songs.

"I'm sorry I'm bad  
I'm sorry I'm blue  
I'm sorry 'bout all the things I said to you  
And I know I can't take it back..."

She gave a hopeful glance to Lincoln, but his face stayed buried in his book, and he gave no indication that he heard her, or that he was even listening. Luna grunted in disappointment and continued to play.

"It may not seem that I care enough  
I may not take the time to say  
But you can't leave me standing here alone  
Till you hear what I have to say

I love you  
I love you  
Through the fires and all the hell  
It's something I can't stop  
I love you..."

Once again the rocker glanced up from her guitar, and once again, she was met with the same result. Lincoln was still nose deep in his book, in the same position he'd been sitting in since she came outside. Frustration began to set in for Luna as she thought, _Okay. Time to break out the big guns._ She jumped across the porch, and when she landed in front of her little brother, she started jamming on the biggest gun she could wield, courtesy of Lennon and McCartney.

"SHE LOVES YOU, YEAH YEAH YEAH!  
SHE LOVES YOU, YEAH YEAH YEAH!  
SHE LOVES YOU, YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAAAAA-"

The first two songs left Lincoln feeling irritated, but Luna's in-your-face singing and guitar pyrotechnics sent him over the edge. He slammed the book shut, tucked it under his arm and used his free hand to turn the volume on Luna's guitar from eleven all the way down to zero. It took the rocker a few seconds to notice there was no sound coming from her axe, and by the time she did, Lincoln was already upstairs in his room.

"Not cool, bro. Not cool." Luna could do nothing but sigh in disappointment, and it was made even worse when Mr. Grouse poked his head out of his second story window and exclaimed, "That's your best performance yet, Loud: complete silence! Heh heh heh!" She grumbled various English obscenities under her breath as she re-entered the house and was greeted by an expectant Lori, who asked, "Did it work?" One sad shake of the head later, Lori bowed her head and sighed.

* * *

The next day brought a brief rainstorm that dampened the neighborhood, leading to the creation of several mud puddles in the Louds' front yard. This proved far too tempting for Lana to resist, and she ran through Charles' doggy door into the muddy paradise that awaited her. She jumped into the biggest, muddiest puddle she found and wallowed in it like a pig in slop, but the part she had to play in what the sisters had dubbed "Operation Lori's Sorry" ran through her mind on an endless loop. _As soon as Lola steps out the door, it's go time,_ she thought to herself as she began to build a mudman.

Meanwhile, inside the house, Lola studied the script that she, Lana and Lori had worked on, mouthing the words and going over the stage instructions. The dress she wore on this particular occasion was faded and worn, with some of the sparkly spangles worn out or missing. _There's no way I'm gonna get one of my good pageant gowns all muddy, _she thought. _Lucky I had this old one at the back of my closet._ When she heard Lincoln exit his room, she whispered, "That's my cue!" She opened the front door of the house and ran outside as Lincoln descended the stairs. As he reached the bottom, he could hear the twins having an argument outside, and he stood on the porch and watched with his arms folded across his chest.

"You got my dress all muddy!" Lola exclaimed.

"Yeah? Well, that wouldn't have happened if you didn't knock over my mudman!" Lana retorted. "You need to watch where you're going!"

"You know that a pageant princess can_not_ afford dirty, icky mud on her best gown! You say you're sorry this instant!"

"The heck I will! If anyone should apologize, it's _you,_ you selfish meanie!"

"Why you...!" Lola raised her right hand and tried to pull her slap so it wouldn't hurt as much, but she still hit Lana with a bit too much force and knocked her to the ground. She gasped in horror and went to help her up, and when their faces were close, she whispered, "You okay? I didn't mean to hit you that hard!"

"I'm fine," Lana replied. "You've got a mean right hook." Lola wore a slight grin as she helped her twin to her feet and then gasped in horror. "Oh my gosh! Lana, I don't know what came over me! I am so, _so_ sorry!"

"Hey, it's okay, sis. I'm not gonna stay mad at you forever over this. In fact, I've already forgotten about it!" They glanced towards the front porch and their older brother, who still stood unimpressed on the top step.

"A...are you sure?"

"Sure, I'm sure! Come here and give me a hug!"

"Oh, Lana! Thank you for being so forgiving! You're the best sister _ever!"_ The twins' gap-toothed smiles were on full display as they embraced and turned to face Lincoln with their arms over each other's shoulders. They didn't have to wait long for a reaction, but unfortunately, it wasn't the one they hoped for; he let out an aggravated sigh, rolled his eyes and walked back inside the house, slamming the door as he did so. The sharp noise sent a jolt through Lola and Lana, and the pageant queen said, "I don't think he bought it."

"Me neither," Lana replied. "You think we should do it again?"

"No," Lola groaned as she headed towards the house. "If he didn't buy it the first time, what makes you think he'd buy it a second?" Lana could only shrug as Lola opened the door to reveal Lori standing behind it, and even though it broke Lola's heart to tell her the news, she had to do it.

"It didn't work, Lori. Sorry we couldn't be of more help." Frustration appeared in the eldest Loud sibling's eyes as Lana came inside and added, "I'm sure you'll find another way to get through to him."

"I hope so," Lori sighed as she started up the stairs. "Because I can't take much more of this." The twins shot each other sad, sympathetic glances as Lori headed to her room, then directed their collective gaze to the top of the stairs.

* * *

Later that night, Leni stumbled into a stroke of luck. Usually bedtime meant every one of her siblings crowded around the sink, but tonight she had managed to get the bathroom all to herself. She smiled and applied a face mask as she stood in front of the mirror, then began to brush her hair. She could feel her pores tingling as the mask did its job, and she let out a content sigh as she opened the medicine cabinet to look for some dental floss. However, instead of pulling out the small white floss container, she pulled out a small white envelope with Lincoln's name on it. Leni raised her eyebrow in curiosity and asked, "Hey, Lincoln...when did you turn into a letter-holder thingy? Is this one of Lisa's experiments?"

She examined it up and down, looking for any sign of her little brother when the door opened to reveal a certain white-haired boy standing in front of her. "Oh, there you are, Linky," Leni said with a smile. "But wait a second...how can you be in the same place twice? I thought that was impossible!"

Lincoln let out a terse sigh and asked, _"What_ are you talking about?"

"This," she replied as she gave the envelope to him. "I think this is for you. Maybe you have a secret admirer!" Lincoln studied the handwriting of his name and quickly deduced that it was Lori's, and when he did, the envelope found itself in the bathroom trash can just as quickly. Leni let out a shocked gasp and exclaimed, "Come on, Lincoln! Don't you wanna find out who your secret admirer is?"

"No, I don't! Now get outta here; I want to brush my teeth in peace!"

"But-"

"OUT!" He shoved Leni out of the bathroom and closed the door, with the envelope following suit as it shot out from the gap beneath and landed at her feet. Leni blinked away her shock and picked up the letter, exclaiming, "Well, if _you_ don't wanna know, then I'll just tell you! Your secret admirer is..." She opened the envelope and removed the letter, and once she read its contents, she gasped and covered her mouth. _OMGosh...Lincoln, if you only knew..._

She tucked the letter back into the envelope and re-sealed it as she headed to the room she shared with Lori. Her older sister was already fast asleep, but as Leni sat down across from her, she noticed tear stains on her pillow. The dumb blonde sighed and gently placed her hand on Lori's shoulder, whispering, "It's okay. Deep down, Linky still loves you. And us. He'll get over this soon...I just know it."

* * *

The ensuing day, however, would prove Leni's optimism wrong. Sunday rolled around and Lincoln was still in as foul a mood as ever, preferring the confines of his room to dealing with his sisters. However, there were still certain calls that needed to be answered, and as he glanced out into the hallway, he saw that there was a small line for the bathroom. He rolled his eyes and shut the door, mumbling, "Lucky I don't have to go _that_ bad." He plopped back down on his bed and prepared to continue reading, but a monotone voice cut through the air and sent him tumbling to the floor with a scream.

"Greetings, Lincoln," Lucy said as she stood beside his bed.

"Lucy?! What did...how did..._where_ did..." He groaned in irritation and exclaimed, "Never mind! What do you want?"

"I decided to try my hand at a small piece of free verse," she said as she held up her poetry journal. "Would you like to hear it?"

"Not interested," Lincoln replied as he returned to his comic. He had no opportunity to continue reading, however, as Lucy pulled the book down to his chest. Although he couldn't see her eyes, Lincoln could tell that the goth was giving him the hardest death glare she could, and he rolled his eyes and relented. "Okay," he responded with a complete lack of interest. "What kinda free verse do you have?"

"I call it 'Remorse,'" Lucy said as she cleared her throat and began.

"Anger is a powerful tool. When used properly,  
it can do a lot of good. However, its properties can lead to  
mistakes and regret when used without care. Therefore,  
I come bearing a message...one whose cry of hope  
is begging to be heard.

I have no excuse. There is nothing but regret and remorse  
running through my mind every single day. I've relived what happened  
every night, and it makes me sick. I want nothing more  
than to take it back and never think of it again. You are the light of my life,  
and I never want it to go out. Lincoln, from the bottom of my heart,  
I am sorry.

Remorse."

She shut her notebook and turned her attention back to the bed, but Lincoln was nowhere to be found. Puzzled, Lucy glanced around the former closet until she noticed that the emergency escape Lisa installed had been activated. When she peeked out the small window, the yellow emergency slide was inflated and Lincoln was outside, standing next to Vanzilla.

"Sigh." Lucy closed the window and exited Lincoln's room, where Leni, Lynn and Lori were waiting for her. "Well," the athlete asked, "what happened?"

"He left by means of Lisa's emergency escape," Lucy replied. Upon hearing that, Lori gritted her teeth in frustration and slammed her fist into the wall, exclaiming, "Dang it, Lincoln! Why the heck are you being so stubborn?! Why won't you listen to us?! To _me?!"_

"I concur," Lisa added as she and Lily stepped out of their bedroom. "Lincoln's behavior has gone on long enough. One would think the passing of a few days would have lessened his anger, but that has not been the case. And I, quite frankly, am tired of it." Lily blew a raspberry in agreement and exclaimed, "Poo poo!"

"You can say that again," Lola added as she and Lana came out of their bedroom. "I miss the old Linky!"

"We all do, Lola," Luna said as she and Luan joined the impromptu hallway gathering. "We've gotta figure out a way to get him to listen to us." Lana raised her hand at the rocker's suggestion and exclaimed, "I've got some rope and duct tape in my room!"

"That could work," Luan observed. "If you use those, he'll be _bound_ to listen to us! Hahahahaha! Get it?" Everyone groaned and rolled their eyes at her pun as she added, "But seriously, I think that's what we're gonna have to do."

"And you know what the worst part is?" Lori asked as her eyes began to tear up. "Even after reading all my letters, he's literally _still_ acting like a royal jerk!" When she said that, Lynn, Lisa and Leni begin to look away and shift uncomfortably as the eldest of the trio rubbed the back of her neck and said, "Uh...Lori..."

"What?" she asked. "Don't tell me he ignored those too!"

"As much as we want to, elder sibling," Lisa sadly replied, "we cannot. The letter you left in the kitchen is in my room."

"The letter you put in Lincoln's room is in mine," Lynn added with a frown. "I'm sorry, sis."

"And I found the one you put in the medicine cabinet," Leni said. That bit of news turned Lori's sadness into frustration as she exclaimed, "Did he at least _read_ them?"

The trio responded with a collective shake of the head, and that sent Lori over the edge. Her frustration at Lincoln's stubbornness, the fact that he was ignoring nearly everyone in the house, and that she had tried so hard for nothing in return proved to be too much. She screamed in frustration, burst into tears and ran to her room, slamming the door so hard that it rattled the small end table in the hallway. Her reaction galvanized her remaining siblings as Lynn slammed her fist into her palm, exclaiming, "Lola, grab that rope. We're gonna make Lincoln listen to us whether he likes it or not."

* * *

**"Sorry" lyrics copyright 2005 by Josh Todd.  
"I Love You" lyrics copyright 1993 by Jason Bieler.  
"She Loves You" lyrics copyright 1965 by John Lennon and Paul McCartney.**


	3. Saying Sorry

The sun had begun to set as Lincoln dribbled a basketball, concentrated on the basket set up over the garage, and took the shot. The arc was right, but the ball bounced around the rim with a series of clanks and dropped back to the ground. Lincoln grunted in disappointment, dribbled the ball, and tried again. However, his second shot proved to be unluckier than the first as it ricocheted off the front of the rim, bounced off of Vanzilla's roof, and landed in Mr. Grouse's yard. As the white-haired boy rolled up his sleeves and prepared to climb the fence, he was stopped dead in his tracks by his elderly neighbor, who grabbed the basketball and exclaimed, "You know the rule, Loud! My yard, my property!"

With the basketball hoop rendered useless, Lincoln grumbled various curses under his breath as he stomped up the stairs to the front door. When he opened it, he was greeted by the sight of nine angry sisters blocking the stairs. Luna stepped forward and gave a single ultimatum: "Lincoln, we need to talk."

The white-haired boy rolled his eyes in annoyance and headed for the kitchen, but the trio of Lynn, Lola and Lana cut him off. When he tried the stairs, Luna, Luan and Leni stopped him cold. Lucy, Lisa and Lily prevented him from making any progress into the living room, and when Lincoln realized he had no choice, he let out a defeated sigh and grumbled, _"Fine._ What do you want?"

"We just wanna talk to you," Lynn replied. She pointed to a chair sitting in front of the couch and said, "Have a seat."

"Um..._why?"_

"Because we've got a lot to say, and you're gonna listen to all of it," Lucy replied. "Lincoln, please sit down." His sisters crept closer to him, backing him up closer to the chair as he declared, "I don't _care_ what you have to say! Give me one good reason why-"

_"SIT YOUR BUTT DOWN RIGHT NOW!"_ Lola's shrill, angry command cut through the air and forced Lincoln into the chair without another word. The pageant queen smiled in approval and replied, "Thank you, Lincoln. Now, could you do us a favor and put your hands behind your back?"

He arched his eyebrow in suspicion and asked, "Again..._why?_ You're acting like you don't want me to go anywhere."

"That's because we don't," Lana said as she stood behind the chair. "Don't make this any harder, Linc. Hands behind your back." He gave a weary sigh and did as he was told, and after crossing his wrists behind the slats of the chair, he felt a strand of rope winding its way across his wrists, binding them together and preventing his escape. As she tightened the knots, Lana said, "We're not taking any chances. You're gonna shut up and listen to us...whether you like it or not." Once the final knot was tied, Lana nodded in approval and returned to the cluster of sisters standing in front of him. Lincoln struggled against his bonds but found no give, and he could do nothing but groan out, "Okay, _fine._ What do you wanna tell me?"

"We're glad you asked," Leni answered. "We just wanted to tell you that, like, you've gotta stop being such a meanie!"

"We know we screwed up," Lynn added, "and we're gonna make it up to you. But what we don't understand is why you're treating the fact that you missed out on the movie like it's the end of the world!"

"It was opening weekend, Lynn!" Lincoln exclaimed. "Like I said, Clyde and I bought those tickets _weeks_ ago! Every Muscle Fish fan I know has been looking forward to this for months!"

"Once again, Lincoln, I understand your frustration," Lucy said as she stepped forward. "If Hollywood ever decided to make a Vampires Of Melancholia movie, I would feel the same way if I were in your position. But you fail to realize that there will be plenty of opportunities for you and Clyde to see it in the future."

"I concur," Lisa added as she pulled out a small chart. "When a motion picture is initially released, the theater that shows it is legally obligated to do so for at least two weeks. Factors such as box office, the popularity of the movie in question, and the business it brings to the establishment will result in a longer stay at said theater, and based upon the projected weekend box office, the Muscle Fish movie will be in theaters for some time."

"Why did you put all your eggs in one basket?" Lola asked. "I mean, being upset is one thing, but right now you're just being petty. And believe me, I _know_ a thing or two about being petty."

"But...Lincoln doesn't have a basket. Or any eggs," Leni observed. Lola rolled her eyes and replied, "It's a figure of speech, Leni."

_"Oh..._got it." She smiled for a few seconds before another thought crossed her mind. "Is it a nice figure?" Lola slapped her forehead in frustration as Lana stepped forward and said, "We've all pooled some of our allowances together to buy you and Clyde a new pair of tickets for your movie. Just give us the date and they're yours."

"Fine, fine," Lincoln agreed. "Next Saturday at 3. Now can you untie me?"

"Nope," Luan said as she held up Mr. Coconuts. "There's still one more thing we've gotta discuss: Lori. When it comes to accepting her apology, let's face it: you've been acting like a bigger dummy than Mr. Coconuts!" As soon as she finished her statement, she leaned in to the dummy and whispered, "No offense."

"None taken," he replied as Luan threw her voice.

"Why _should_ I accept her apology?" Lincoln countered. "She _promised_ she'd take me and Clyde to the movie, but when Bobby showed up, she conveniently forgot about it! It's like he matters more to her than I do!"

"Yeah, but...in Lori's defense, she's with you, and us, every day," Luna countered. "I'm not excusing what she did; it was pretty low of her to leave you hangin' like that. But she can't see Bobby every day like she used to. Any relationship takes work, but a long-distance relationship? That's a challenge few can meet."

"And it's not like he did it on purpose," Leni added. "As far as he knew, he was just coming back to Royal Woods to surprise his girlfriend."

And speaking of surprises, Lily stepped forward and launched into a lengthy tirade of baby talk and gibberish as Lisa stood beside her and translated. "What Lily is trying to say is, you seem to be acting as if Lori and Bobby deliberately planned this out. I highly doubt that they would be cruel enough to do such a thing to you. After all, Lori's your sister, and Bobby's your bro. They both made a mistake, and there's no reason you should still be mad at them." Lily nodded at the little genius and babbled, "Ank oo, Wisa."

"My pleasure."

"But that still doesn't excuse the fact that she slapped me," Lincoln retorted with an angry grimace. "Lori should have known better than that!"

"We agree," Lynn replied with a nod. "But the fact that you called her a selfish, self-centered, inconsiderate clod _and_ that you hoped Bobby would break up with her didn't help your case. Did you really think you could say all that and have her _not_ get mad?"

"I don't care," Lincoln declared. "I'm not taking that back! I stand by what I said!"

_We thought you'd say that, bro,_ Lynn thought. _Time to go in for the kill._ "Well, if Lori is such a selfish, self-centered, inconsiderate clod, then why did she buy you a new pair of VR goggles after she broke your old ones?"

Lynn's question caught Lincoln off guard, and his anger began to ebb as he struggled to come up with an answer. "I...she...well..."

"Yeah! And if she's so inconsiderate," Lola added, "then why did she help you and Clyde get your comic to the post office so you could enter that contest?"

"Um...uh..."

"And if Lori's so self-centered," Luan said, "then why did she pitch in with us and buy you some Zombie Bran after what happened at the grocery store that day?"

"And what about the time she kept giving you and Clyde freebies at Gus' Games & Grub?" Lana asked.

"Or when she takes the time to play video games with you?" Leni asked.

"How about when she helps you with your homework?" Luna added.

"Or when she gives you a ride to the comic book store, or the mall, or wherever you want to go?" Lucy asked.

"Ha baga da bloo bloo daba nee ba?" Lily babbled. Once again, Lisa jumped in with a translation: "Or when she helps cover for you so you don't get caught breaking curfew?"

Their contrary arguments reduced Lincoln from angry confidence to a stammering mess, and he realized there was no way to justify any of the things he'd said about her. And on top of that, Luna cemented it with a firm, "Face it, brah. Lori's done far more good for you than bad. Being mad at her is one thing, but at this point you're just wearin' a grudge like a crown of negativity."

"I must concur wholeheartedly with Luna's assessment," Lisa said. "And I must also propose a query of my own: if our eldest sibling was as selfish, self-centered and inconsiderate as you claim her to be, then why did she leave several notes and messages around our home in an attempt to apologize to you?" Her question stopped Lincoln dead in his tracks, and he stammered, "Wait...sh...she _what?_ When did she do this?"

"She started the day after everything happened," Lynn replied. "After I grabbed my street hockey ball from your room, I saw a crumpled-up envelope in your trash can. When I saw your name in Lori's handwriting on the front, I took it out and held onto it for safekeeping." _So it wasn't a subscription card,_ Lincoln thought to himself. _Man...I'm such a jerk..._

"After your near mishap with my lipid sample, I discovered yet another parcel addressed to you from Lori in the kitchen trash receptacle," Lisa said as she adjusted her glasses. "It was covered in orange juice, but a quick fiber analysis revealed that the contents within would still be readable. I, too, held onto it for safekeeping." Guilt began to well in Lincoln's chest as he hung his head and whispered, "Lori...you..."

"And when I was in the bathroom a few days ago, I found another letter-holder thingy stuck in the medicine cabinet," Leni added with a concerned frown. "After I found out it wasn't from a secret admirer, I took it and kept it in my dresser; I didn't have a safe to keep it in."

After a collective roll of the eyes at Leni's statement, Luan said, "We even tried helping her get the message to you, but you didn't listen...to _any_ of us." As Lincoln retraced the previous days' events, he began to realize that Luan was right. The guilt building within him grew heavier as he asked, "So, those songs Luna sang to me on the porch were..."

"All Lori's idea," the rocker answered. "She found some songs about being sorry and being loved on the web and pointed them out to me. I learned 'em quick and played 'em for you, but..."

"And that play Lola and Lana put on?"

"Lori helped us write a little script," Lana said.

"And we practiced it three times before we did it for real," Lola added. "We thought for sure that'd be the one that did it, but..." Lincoln gulped back the lump forming in his throat and asked, "What about Lucy's poem?"

"A joint collaboration between myself and Lori," she explained. "Although it was short, she got her message across the best she could...and you just ignored it."

"What we're trying to say is: this isn't you, Linky," Leni said as she knelt down in front of him. "We know you've been really mad not just at Lori, but at us. We can get you new tickets for your movie, but we can't get you a new older sister. Lori's...cried herself to sleep every night since she slapped you."

Lincoln's heart dropped into his shoes as he choked out, "R...really?"

"Yeah. She's totes sorry for what she did, and so are we."

Luna motioned towards the second floor and said, "We put the notes in your room while you were outside. I can see in your eyes that you want this thing to be over with as much as we do, so..."

Lincoln nodded and motioned towards the stairs. "Can you guys give me a few minutes?"

"Sure thing," Lynn replied. "Lana, you can untie him." The handywoman did as instructed, loosening the rope binding Lincoln's hands and freeing him from the chair. One quick rub of his wrists later, he ascended the stairs to his room and found the letters sitting on top of his dresser. Once he'd gathered them together, Lincoln came back down. The frown on his face was no longer one of anger and irritation, but one of regret. His eyes, hard as steel for the last few days, were now soft and welling with tears. The look in his eyes suggested he was about to break down at any second, and his sisters stayed close by as he sat down on the last step and began to read through the letters.

"Lincoln, I...love you so, so much. I have no excuse for what I did, and I hope you can forgive me." He put the note down and moved on to the next. "Dear Lincoln, I love you more than you'll...ever know. If I could take this back, I'd...do it in a heartbeat. You mean the world to me." Lincoln's chest began to ache from the guilt as tears began to fall down his face, and he cleared them away with the back of his hand. Lynn sat down beside him and put her arm over his shoulders as he continued to read, but the contents of the third letter would reduce everyone in the room to tears.

"Dear Lincoln..." He sniffled and continued, his voice beginning to break as he did so. "Please, don't ever think...that I don't...love you or care about you. You're the greatest thing that ever...happened to me." Lynn administered gentle rubs and pats to his back to keep him calm, but they did nothing to stop the oncoming flood. Lincoln's tears stained the paper as he fought on, taking deep breaths and sniffling all the while as he reached the letter's end. "You're the greatest...gift this family has ever received. And don't ever forget: as much as I love Bobby..." His voice trailed off as he read the last four words of that statement, and when he did, his face contorted in grief and he let out a hard gasp. It was a direct shot to Lincoln's heart, and he shook with sobs as he tried to compose himself and finish the letter. He dragged his shirt sleeve across his eyes and shook his head in sadness, now knowing for a fact just how sorry Lori was, and how much of a jerk he had been.

_"...I love you more."_

The note fluttered to the floor as Lincoln buried his face in his hands and sobbed, his angry facade now nothing but a bad memory. His sisters' reaction was immediate as a massive cuddle puddle formed around him, and it was more than fair to say that what they'd witnessed had the same effect on them. Trails of mascara ran down Luna and Lola's cheeks, Lisa's glasses were almost completely fogged over, and Lana was audibly crying and holding onto her twin for support as she exclaimed, "It's okay, Lincoln! It's okay!" Lucy's stoic facade was betrayed by her quivering lower lip and the tear lines on her cheeks, Lily latched onto Lincoln's leg and hugged him, and all the while, Leni and Lynn sat on either side of their little brother and gave him the warmest, biggest hugs they could. Luan held his hand as he cried, and his ragged sobs slowly lessened to sniffles and whimpers as the cuddle puddle did its job. Once he had calmed down, Luan reached into her pocket and handed Lincoln a small kerchief, which he used to wipe his eyes and blow his nose. When his sisters regained their composure, Leni wiped her tears away and gently said, "Lori's up in her room if you wanna go talk to her, Linky. I'm sure she'd really appreciate it."

"Y...yeah," Lincoln replied with a wobbly smile. "You're right. And after I'm done, I have something to say to all of you, so follow me." His sisters did just that as they ascended the stairs and headed for Lori and Leni's bedroom. Before he knocked on the door, Lincoln held out his hand and stopped the crowd, requesting, "Can you guys hang back for a few minutes? I really feel like it should just be me and her right now."

"Of course, Linc," Lynn replied as they stepped back towards the stairs. "Go for it."

"Just give us the signal when you're ready," Lola said.

Lincoln nodded and knocked on the door, opening it to reveal Lori sitting on the edge of her bed with her head bowed in sadness. When she rose her head to see who entered, her heart soared when she saw it was Lincoln, and he closed the door behind him as he approached her. "H..hey, Lori," he said with tears in his eyes. "Do you mind if I-"

His question was cut short when Lori practically teleported over to him, fell to her knees and wrapped her arms around him in a massive hug. She squeezed him so tight that Lincoln felt his eyes would pop out of his skull, but he smiled and wrapped his arms around her, rubbing her back for comfort as she shook with sobs. They stayed like that for a good solid minute before Lori let him go and placed her hands on his shoulders. "Lincoln...you have no idea how happy I am to see you," she said with a tearful smile.

"I think I have an idea," he replied. "Listen, Lori...I just wanna say..."

"Me first...please," she begged of him. Lincoln nodded, and Lori began to pour her heart out.

"I don't know where to begin with apologizing to you, Lincoln. I wish in the worst way that I could take it back...but I can't. That look on your face..." The words caught in Lori's throat, and she choked back a sob. "I never want to see that look on your face ever again. I'm sorry for breaking my promise, but when it comes to slapping you..." She hung her head in shame and let out a heavy, regretful sigh, concluding with, "There aren't enough words to express how sorry I am for that. Lincoln...I promise you..._I swear on my soul..._that I will never, ever hurt you like that again. You're my little brother...you're my _only_ brother...and I love you more than you'll ever know. I am so, _so_ sorry."

"You're not the only one who needs to apologize, Lori." Lincoln sniffled and wiped his eyes before continuing with, "I'm really, really sorry I yelled at you like that. I'm even sorrier for ignoring all the nice stuff you guys tried to do for me."

"It's okay, Lincoln," Lori responded as she caressed the cheek she'd slapped with her thumb. "People tend to make rash decisions when they're mad."

"And we _both_ found that out, unfortunately." Lincoln held Lori's hand and said, "Let's make a promise, right here and now. If we ever get that mad at each other again, let's take a five minute breather before we say or do anything we regret."

Lori smiled and replied, "That's a promise I'll do my best to keep. And Lincoln..." She put her hand under his chin and guided his head up until their eyes met. "I meant what I said in my notes. What Bobby and I have is _nothing_ compared to what you and I have. I...I don't know what I'd do without you."

"And I don't know what I'd do without _you,"_ he responded as his eyes began to tear up. "Can...you forgive me for being such a selfish, self-centered, inconsiderate clod?"

"Of course," she replied as she stroked his hair. "Can you forgive me for slapping you?"

"Of course!" His exclamation made Lori's heart soar, and she swept Lincoln into a huge, relieved hug, holding onto him and rocking him back and forth as she kissed his forehead and whispered, "I love you, Lincoln. I love you so, so much."

"I love you too, Lori," he replied with a sniffle. "But...can you let up just a bit? I think you're squeezing all the tears out of me."

"Don't care." She smiled and squeezed him tight, and they stayed like that for a good solid minute before Lori began to slack her arms. When Lincoln felt that happen, he tightened his grip and whispered, "Just a little longer." She stopped, glanced down at her baby brother, and smiled as tears of happiness fell from her eyes.

They remained embraced for five more minutes until Lincoln's legs started to fall asleep.

* * *

Out in the hallway, the nonet of sisters ached with anticipation, and all of them were either clenching their fists or crossing their fingers. "Come on, you two," Lola mumbled under her breath. "You can do this."

"Come on, Linky," Leni whispered as she held Lynn's hand. The athlete nodded at her statement and added, "Do it, bro. Do it."

It was then that the doorknob turned and the door to Lori and Leni's room opened. The sisters' anticipation turned to joy and relief when Lori and Lincoln stepped into the hallway, with a loud cheer emanating from the group. The smiles on the duo's faces offset their puffy eyes and red cheeks, and Lincoln let the nonet have their moment as he watched them celebrate. Once the cheering had quieted down, he approached them and said, "Don't think I forgot about you guys. I just wanna say, thanks for making me listen to you back there. And...I'm sorry for blowing up at you. I was frustrated and I was angry, and I took it out on you. I had no right to do that. I...I didn't mean anything I said."

"We know, Lincoln," Lucy said as she put her hand on his shoulder. "And we thank you." He smiled in relief as all his sisters joined in a big group hug, and after she did her part, Lola stuck her head out of the cuddle puddle and exclaimed, "MOM! DAD! LORI APOLOGIZED TO LINCOLN AND LINCOLN APOLOGIZED TO US!"

"You don't have to yell, Lola," Lynn Sr. said with a smile as he stood alongside Rita at the top of the stairs. "We can see that." Lola blushed in embarrassment and mumbled, "Heh heh...oopsie."

"It's perfectly fine, sweetie," Rita said as she and her husband joined the cuddle puddle. "We're just happy that Lincoln and Lori patched things up."

"And we're just as happy he did the same with all of you," Lynn Sr. added with pride. "Lincoln, Lori: as of right now, you two can consider yourselves un-grounded." A simultaneous "Yay!" was heard from brother and sister as Lynn Sr. said to his remaining brood, "And don't forget, you still owe Lincoln a pair of movie tickets. Has he agreed on a date and time with you girls?"

"Saturday at 3," Luan replied. "I gotta say, Lincoln, when it came time to _picture_ options, you _movie-_d pretty fast! Hahahahaha! Get it?"

"Ha ha! Good one, sweetie!" Lynn Sr. replied with a grin as everyone else groaned. As the cuddle puddle dissolved, Lincoln turned to Lori and asked, "I know Muscle Fish isn't really your thing, but...you wanna come see it with us? Clyde and I could use a chaperone."

Touched by Lincoln's gesture, Lori smiled warmly and replied, "I'd be delighted. Heck, maybe I'll wind up enjoying it as much as you two will." Lincoln smiled and gave her a hug, saying, "Thanks, Lori."

"No, Lincoln. Thank _you."_


	4. Movie Time

The next Saturday, Lori parked Vanzilla in a public lot across the street from the Royal Woods Cinema, and as soon as she killed the engine, Lincoln and Clyde jumped out into the afternoon sun and started fanboying like they never had before. Both of them were wearing Muscle Fish T-shirts alongside a pair of fingerless gloves and custom-made boots, courtesy of Leni. Lincoln could barely contain himself as he exclaimed, "Man oh man, Clyde, it's finally here! We're finally gonna get to see Muscle Fish duke it out with Strong Squid just like in the comics!"

Clyde matched his friend's enthusiasm with an energetic, "I know! And if what I've heard is true, this movie is the start of something even bigger!"

"No spoilers," Lincoln warned. "We've avoided them for months, and we can't afford to hear any now! We're almost there!"

"10-4, good buddy! Let's go!" Clincoln McCloud began to stride towards the theater but were stopped just as fast when Lori ordered, "HOLD IT! First, you guys need to wait for the light to change. Second, I still have to pay for parking. And finally, how are you gonna get into the movie if you don't have these?" She pulled the trio of tickets out of her purse and brandished them in front of her, causing Lincoln and Clyde to stop and give a sheepish, "Heh heh...good point."

"Just hold your horses, you two." After Lori acquired her parking pass, she followed Lincoln and Clyde towards the theater once the light turned green, and they earned a place in line just beneath the awning of the theater marquee. "Okay, you guys," Lori said as she checked the time on her phone. "They'll start letting us in pretty soon, so Lincoln, here's your ticket, and Clyde, here's yours." Lincoln took his and placed it in his pocket, but once Clyde took his, he began to hyperventilate and stammer, "L...Lori's beautiful, perfect hands actually _touched this ticket!_ Overload! Overload! O...ver...load..." His eyes rolled back in his head and he fainted dead away, with Lincoln and Lori catching him before he hit the sidewalk.

"Dang it," Lincoln sighed as he piggybacked his unconscious friend. "Well, at least when he wakes up, we'll be inside."

"For your sake, I hope he does," Lori said with concern. "I don't want him to miss this. And I don't want _you_ to miss it either," she added as she smiled at him. "The line's moving. Get your tickets ready."

When it was their turn, the usher took their tickets, tore them in half and directed them to Theater 2, which caused Lincoln to shudder slightly in recognition. Lori noticed the grimace on his face and asked, "What's wrong, Lincoln?"

"That's the theater I snuck into to see _The Harvester,"_ he replied with a wide-eyed shiver. But that shiver turned to excitement as he declared, "But today, I have no reason to be scared! Muscle Fish, here we come!" Lori couldn't help but smile at his enthusiasm, and once their popcorn and sodas were purchased, the trio entered the theater and sat Clyde in the seat on the aisle, with Lori in the seat opposite Lincoln. Shortly after they took their seats, Clyde began to wake from his fainting spell, asking, "Whoa...wha...what happened? Dude, don't tell me we missed the movie!"

"We just sat down," Lincoln assured him. "We haven't missed a thing."

"Awesome! Bring on the fish fights!" As the theater filled up and the lights went down, Lincoln and Clyde exchanged excited glances as Lori silenced her phone, but not before taking a quick picture of Clincoln McCloud in full geek-out mode and grinning to herself. "Hello, new lock screen," she whispered as she placed her phone in her purse and turned her attention to the movie. Lincoln held the tub of popcorn in his lap, allowing Lori and Clyde easy access as the movie unfolded. A big cheer was heard as the movie's title appeared on the screen, and the storyline, involving Muscle Fish coming into possession of a mysterious artifact which sent every villain on land and underwater after him, kept the crowd fully engrossed.

One particular scene that stood out involved Muscle Fish fighting his way through a hallway filled with thugs and henchmen, and Lincoln and Clyde could feel every punch and kick being thrown. Meanwhile, Lori had expected another brainless comic book movie, but the title character's gruff charm and the interesting villains had her legitimately invested in the film, much to her surprise. As the crowd cheered their hero on, Lincoln heard loud, excited yells coming from his left, and his jaw dropped in amazement when he saw Lori exclaiming, "Come on! Kick their butts! Knock their blocks off!" Once he cleared the room and staggered down the stairs to his next challenge, the theater roared with applause, and Lincoln and Lori exchanged knowing, excited glances as his sister mouthed, "WOW!" Lincoln grinned in approval and mouthed back, "I know, right?!"

When the climax of the movie played out, the tension was thick. Strong Squid, Muscle Fish's biggest nemesis, was now in possession of the artifact-a strength-enhancing gauntlet-and using its powers to beat the hero senseless. Lincoln and Clyde held each other's hands and chewed on their fingernails while Lori cringed in pain as the octopod rained down blow after blow. As he prepared to deliver the final knockout punch, Muscle Fish saw his opening and swept the leg, knocking Strong Squid down and wrapping his arms around his neck, putting him in a headlock. His enemy tried everything to keep the artifact away from him, but muscle beat strength as Muscle Fish shoved his hand into the gauntlet and felt its power course through him. When that happened, a huge, relieved cheer arose in the theater as Muscle Fish rained down punches and kicks upon Strong Squid, beating him to within an inch of his life before sparing him for the police. However, the squid used his opening to try and finish him off with a blast of exploding ink.

It was the last thing he would ever do.

Muscle Fish heard it coming and ducked, watching as the ink hit a load-bearing pillar and destroyed it. All of a sudden, the ceiling crashed down around them, burying the two foes underneath a pile of debris. After the dust cleared, a series of dull thuds could be heard. The noises built in frequency and volume as a large piece of plaster exploded to reveal Muscle Fish, battered and bruised, but alive. The crowd roared with approval as he charged to the spot where Strong Squid was buried and attempted to save him, but he was too late. With his biggest enemy defeated, Muscle Fish turned the artifact over to a museum and rode off into the sunset, looking for more adventure.

As the end credits began to roll, the theater broke out into wild applause, but nobody left their seats. The rumors had said there was a post-credits scene, and seven minutes later, there it was. Muscle Fish had stopped for a quick drink and some ice to nurse his wounds when a shadowy figure tapped him on the shoulder. When he turned around to see who it was, it was none other than Ace Savvy, and that revelation caused Lincoln and Clyde to fanboy scream like they never had before. Lori watched in amusement as they practically jumped out of their skins with excitement, and when the house lights came up, Clincoln McCloud couldn't stop talking about what they'd seen.

"THAT WAS THE COOLEST THING EVER!" Clyde yelled as he pumped his fists in the air.

"Man, when Muscle Fish was fighting those guys in the hallway...that was incredible!" Lincoln exclaimed. "Some of the best fight scenes I've ever seen!"

"And the final battle! Holy _moly,_ was that intense!"

"I didn't think he was gonna make it, buddy! I thought Strong Squid had him!"

"Never doubt Muscle Fish's punching abilities!" As they left the theater, Lincoln turned to Lori and asked, "What did you think?"

"Well, you know me, Lincoln," she replied with a shrug. "Comics aren't really my thing. But that was literally some of the most fun I've had at a movie in a long time! I'm really glad you asked me to come along!"

"No problem," Lincoln replied as the trio crossed the street and climbed into Vanzilla. "But that end credits scene! Oh my God, Clyde! ACE SAVVY'S TEAMING UP WITH MUSCLE FISH!"

"I know! I KNOW! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!" The duo kept raving about other potential crossover ideas as Lori started the drive back home, smiling as she glanced at them in the rear view mirror.

_Thank you, Lincoln. For everything._

* * *

Later that night, Lincoln and Lori had the bathroom all to themselves. He couldn't help but keep raving about the movie as Lori brushed her teeth, and even though 90% of what he said was a repeat from earlier, she listened attentively as he got his energy out. But when it came time for him to brush his teeth, Lori began to rave about the season finale of Vampires Of Melancholia, turning the tables and making Lincoln listen to her fangirling. "OMG, Tristan is _so cute_ as a vampire! You literally have no idea! When Edwin took him to Transylvania for his annual vampire conference, you should've seen the sparks fly! Lincoln, it was one of the coolest things ever!" Lincoln couldn't help but laugh at her playful flip of the script, and soon Lori joined in, laughing right alongside him.

"I had a really great time today, Lori," Lincoln said after he spat his toothpaste into the sink. "Thanks for coming."

"Thank _you_ for inviting me," she replied with a smile as she ruffled his hair. Once he and Lori were done, they headed for their respective rooms and were just about to part when Lincoln stopped alongside his eldest sister. Lori raised her eyebrow and said, "Hey, you know your room's at the end of the hall, right?"

"Yeah, but...I just wanna say something before I go." He stood up straight, looked her dead in the eyes, and said, "Thank you, Lori. Thank you for the notes, and the songs, and the play, and the poem. Thank you for being there for me. Thank you for being part of my life every day. Thank you for being you." Warm smiles appeared on both of their faces as Lincoln concluded with, "But most of all, thank you for forgiving me. I still feel really bad about what I said, and..." The words caught in his throat as he squeezed his eyes shut and attempted not to cry, but it was no use.

Sympathy coursed through Lori as she knelt down and opened her arms, whispering, "Hey, hey, hey...come here." Lincoln walked into her arms and silently cried into her shoulder while Lori hugged him and rocked him back and forth to calm him down. "It's okay, Lincoln," she assured him. "It's over. It's all in the past."

"I know, but..."

"Shhh...it's okay. It's okay." Her gentle assurance served to calm Lincoln, and he let out a relieved, content sigh. However, he still had one more question for his older sister as he sniffled and asked, "I know this is gonna sound weird, but...do you mind if I slept with you tonight?" On any other night, Lori's answer to that question would be a firm "no" and a slam of the door, but the state her little brother was in softened her defenses. "Okay, but just for tonight," she replied.

He smiled and dragged his pajama sleeve across his eyes, saying, "Thanks, Lori." Leni was already fast asleep as the duo climbed into Lori's bed, and once they were under the covers, she snuggled Lincoln close to her, stroking his hair and rubbing his back. As she comforted him, another song she had shown to Luna popped into her head, and she began to sing it to her little brother as a lullaby.

"Ooh, you make me live  
Whatever this world can give to me  
It's you, you're all I see  
Ooh, you make me live now, Lincoln  
Ooh, you make me live.

Oh, you're the best friend that I've ever had  
I've been with you such a long time  
You're my sunshine, and I want you to know that my feelings are true  
I really love you  
Oh, you're my best friend."

Across the room, Leni stirred and flipped up her sleep mask when she heard the gentle singing, and wound up treating herself to every second of Lori's lullaby. The warmth of the gesture and the loving smile on her older sister's face brought one to hers as she watched her sing to their little brother, and she reached over to her nightstand and grabbed her phone. A quick flip of the volume switch rendered the phone silent, and she took a discreet picture of Lori and Lincoln in each other's arms. One quick post to Instagram and Facebook later, accompanied by the caption "Forgiveness is beautiful," two heart emojis and a hug icon, Leni flipped her mask down and returned to sleep.

Once Lori finished singing, Lincoln turned to face the camera before he drifted off. "It's okay to feel angry when something bad happens to you," he said with a relieved smile, "but if you keep being angry for no good reason, you could wind up hurting the ones you love...and I found that out the hard way. Holding onto a grudge just isn't worth it, especially in a family this big. But now that it's over, the only thing I'm holding onto tonight is Lori. And I couldn't be happier."

He closed his eyes and fell asleep, dreaming of fighting bad guys alongside Muscle Fish while Lori would dream about the day she'd marry Bobby. Their dreams would bring content smiles to their faces as they slept, and they would stay there for the rest of the night. But before she surrendered herself to dreamland, Lori had one last thing to say to her baby brother.

"I love you, Lincoln," she whispered as she kissed him on the forehead. "Always and forever."

-END-

* * *

**"You're My Best Friend" lyrics copyright 1975 by John Deacon.**


End file.
